View source for Manzhouli Tian Sheng Long's filicide and animal abuse history

[[Category:December 2023]]
[[Category:Long-term_Incidents]]
[[Category:Inner Mongolia]]
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:HumanVictims]]
{{Infobox Case
| case_name = Torture and Murder of Tian Luo Xi (and Tian Sheng Long's animal abuse history)
| location = Manzhouli, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China
| date_of_incident = February–December 2023 (abuse period); December 21, 2023 (death)
| type_of_abuse = Physical harm
| perpetrator = Tian Sheng Long (田胜龙), Wen Taotao (文桃桃)
| case_status = Closed
| image = Tian Sheng Long case Li Ting Ting interview.png
| caption = The victim’s biological mother, Li Ting Ting during an interview.
| species = Cats
| date_discovered = December 21, 2023
| date_closed = August 22, 2025
| aftermath = Public outrage and condemnation
}}
{{Infobox Person of Interest
| name = Tian Sheng Long (田胜龙)
| status = Sentenced
| age = 26 (at time of crime)
| occupation = Unemployed
| involvement = Perpetrator in the torture and murder of his 3-year-old daughter, Tian Luo Xi. Also perpetrated the torture of a kitten.
| punitive_measure = Sentenced to life in prison for intentional injury and abuse. The sentence was upheld on appeal.
| pii_status = ID on record
| title = Child torturer and cat torturer
| image = Tian Sheng Long.png
| caption = Tian smiling in a family photo.
}}
{{Infobox Person of Interest
| name = Wen Tao Tao (文桃桃)
| status = Sentenced
| age = 22 (at time of crime)
| occupation = Unemployed
| involvement = Co-perpetrator in the torture and murder of her boyfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Tian Luo Xi.
| punitive_measure = Sentenced to death for intentional injury and abuse. The sentence was upheld on appeal.
| pii_status = 
| title = Child torturer
| image = Wen Tao Tao.jpg
| caption = Wen's pic on social media
}}
The '''Manzhouli filicide and animal abuse case''' involves the systematic torture and eventual murder of a three-year-old girl, '''Tian Luo Xi''' (田洛溪), by her biological father, '''Tian Sheng Long''' (田胜龙), and his girlfriend, '''Wen Tao Tao''' (文桃桃), in 2023.<ref name="sohu_20240823">{{cite web|author=知否大叔|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/802987919_121124288|title=内蒙古“3岁女童被虐致死”案开庭了,这个兽父和毒小三死一万次都不足惜!|website=Sohu|date=August 23, 2024|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref> The case is notable for the extreme sadism inflicted upon a defenseless child, which included recording the abuse in videos titled "Hunting Time" (猎杀时刻), and for the perpetrator's prior history of torturing another helpless victim: a kitten.<ref name="zhihu_20241025">{{cite web|author=易轶婚姻律师|url=https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/3102486675|title=极其残忍!內蒙古生父伙同情人打死3岁女儿,细节曝光:抢走孩子后多次以打骂、捆绑等方式虐待...|website=Zhihu|date=October 25, 2024|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref><ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122">{{cite web|author=萌爪医生|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/iMONpmObzeKIMF_ydvxiiw|title=女童遭父亲殴打送医后死亡,父亲竟有虐猫史?|website=Weixin Official Accounts Platform|date=January 22, 2024|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref> Following a highly publicized trial, Wen Tao Tao was sentenced to death and Tian Sheng Long was sentenced to life in prison, verdicts which were upheld on final appeal in August 2025.<ref name="jiupai_20250822">{{cite web|author=九派新闻|url=https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1841152401103487071|title=女童被生父及女友虐待致死案二审维持原判,母亲发声:不甘心但尊重判决,会好好生活|website=Baidu|date=August 22, 2025|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref>[[File:Tian Sheng Long case victim Tiantian.png|none|thumb|521x521px|Tiantian and a kitten.]]
== Background ==
Tian Sheng Long and '''Li Ting Ting''' (李婷婷), both from Pingxiang County, Hebei, were introduced in 2019.<ref name="163_20240827">{{cite web|author=潘幸知|url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/JAJG0V6T052888VJ.html|title=老公为讨好小三,施虐3岁女儿!让原配背负债务?他们的报应来了|website=NetEase|date=August 27, 2024|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref> After a brief courtship of only 12 days, they became engaged and married in December 2019.<ref name="sohu_20240823" /> Their daughter, later named Tian Luo Xi but called Tiantian (甜甜), was born in April 2021.<ref name="163_20240827" /> After the birth, Tian Sheng Long moved to Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia, to work in his father's wood processing business, while Li Ting Ting remained in Hebei to care for their daughter.<ref name="sohu_20240823" /> Tian's family, particularly his parents, were openly disappointed that the first-born child was a girl.<ref name="sohu_20240823" />

During their separation, Tian convinced his wife to take out over 150,000 RMB in online loans for his "business," which later ballooned to over 200,000 RMB with interest, leaving Li Ting Ting to face the debt collectors.<ref name="163_20240827" /><ref name="sohu_20240823" /> Concurrently, Tian began an affair with Wen Tao Tao (b. 2001) in Manzhouli, with whom he started living and referred to as his "wife."<ref name="163_20240827" /><ref name="jiemian_20240821">{{cite web|author=界面新闻|url=https://mbd.baidu.com/newspage/data/landingsuper?rs=3212178510&ruk=YPaFuSDIo_IcxAPBe0iSOg&pageType=1&_refluxos=a0&context=%7B%22nid%22%3A%22news_9708755886016164668%22%22ssid%22%3A%22accfg79fa00100000%22%7D|title=3岁女童被生父及婚外女友虐待致死,案件择期宣判|website=Baidu|date=August 21, 2024|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref> In February 2023, Tian returned to Hebei, demanded a divorce, and forcibly abducted Tian Luo Xi, cutting off all contact with Li Ting Ting.<ref name="sohu_20240823" /><ref name="zhihu_20241025" />

== History of animal cruelty ==
[[File:Tian Sheng Long severely abused a kitten..png|none|thumb|450x450px|Tian Sheng Long severely abused a kitten he adopted, according to the neighbor.]]
In October 2023, while living with his daughter and Wen Tao Tao, Tian Sheng Long adopted a kitten from a neighbor.<ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" /> He returned the kitten the very next day, claiming it had "gone crazy."<ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" /> The neighbor found the kitten in a trash bin, its eyes full of tears.<ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" /> A closer inspection revealed its entire front chest was covered in a thick layer of blood.<ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" /> A veterinary visit and X-rays confirmed the kitten's knees were completely shattered from being intentionally beaten, an injury that would likely cause a lifelong disability.<ref name="163_20240827" /><ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" /> When confronted, Tian first denied it, then paid 800 RMB and demanded the matter be dropped.<ref name="dr_mengzhua_20240122" />

== Torture and murder of Tian Luo Xi ==
From February to December 2023, Tian Sheng Long and Wen Tao Tao subjected the defenseless toddler to a campaign of horrific abuse in their Manzhouli apartment.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> They frequently used their fists, feet, wooden sticks, data cables, slippers, and rice shovels to beat her.<ref name="sohu_20240823" /><ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> The abuse also included methods such as starvation, sleep deprivation, and binding.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" />

In a particularly sadistic practice, they recorded videos of the abuse, which they titled "Hunting Time" (猎杀时刻), a term from video game culture used to describe expertly killing an opponent.<ref name="zhihu_20241025" /> Wen Tao Tao also documented their acts in a memo on her phone, which included details of stuffing socks into the child's mouth and putting a urine-soaked pad on her head.<ref name="zhihu_20241025" /> They continued to beat the child even after she began experiencing seizures and periods of unconsciousness.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" />
[[File:Tian Sheng Long case Tiantian hospital report.jpg|none|thumb|528x528px|Tiantian's rescue record at Manzhouli People's Hospital.]]
On the morning of December 21, 2023, after Tian Sheng Long had left for work, Wen Tao Tao discovered that Tian Luo Xi had wet the bed.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> Enraged, she beat the child with a data cable and ordered her to go to the bathroom.<ref name="163_20240827" /> The girl collapsed in the bathroom and began convulsing.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> Instead of seeking immediate medical help, Wen called Tian, who returned home, and they continued to assault the child before finally taking her to the hospital at 8:42 AM.<ref name="163_20240827" /> Tian Luo Xi was declared dead at 9:25 AM.<ref name="163_20240827" />

A forensic autopsy revealed the cause of death was a ruptured right atrium due to blunt force trauma to the chest, leading to acute cardiac tamponade.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> The examination found that the child's body was covered in bruises, with a total injured surface area of 832.5cm².<ref name="baike">{{cite web|author=百度百科|url=https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%94%B0%E8%83%9C%E9%BE%99/64813278|title=田胜龙|website=Baidu Baike|access-date=September 9, 2025|language=zh-Hans}}</ref>

== Legal proceedings and outcome ==
Tian Sheng Long and Wen Tao Tao were criminally detained on the day of the murder and formally arrested on January 26, 2024.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> The Hulunbuir People's Procuratorate charged both with abuse and intentional injury.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" />
[[File:Tian Sheng Long Wen Tao Tao indictment paper.jpg|none|thumb|558x558px|Indictment paper (copy)]]
The first trial was held on August 21, 2024.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> Li Ting Ting appeared in court, waived all rights to civil compensation, and knelt while holding her daughter's photo, begging the court to sentence both defendants to death.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> The defense argued that the defendants were only guilty of abuse, not intentional injury.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /> At the end of the trial, both Tian and Wen stated they were remorseful and asked the court to sentence them to death.<ref name="jiemian_20240821" /><ref name="baike" />

On December 6, 2024, the court delivered the first-instance verdicts:<ref name="baike" />
* '''Wen Tao Tao''' was found guilty of intentional injury and abuse and was sentenced to death.<ref name="baike" />
* '''Tian Sheng Long''' was found guilty of intentional injury and abuse and was sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="baike" />

Li Ting Ting was not satisfied with Tian's sentence and appealed to the procuratorate for a harsher penalty, but her request was denied.<ref name="baike" /> Tian Sheng Long appealed his own sentence, arguing he was not guilty of intentional injury.<ref name="jiupai_20250822" /> The second and final trial was held on June 6, 2025.<ref name="jiupai_20250822" /> On August 22, 2025, the high court announced its decision to reject the appeal and uphold the original sentences.<ref name="jiupai_20250822" />

== References ==
<references />